US2039003A - Apparatus for dehydration of tar emulsions - Google Patents

Description

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T. H. JACKSON APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATION OF TAR EMULSIONS 2 Sheet-Sheet 2 L ju/erL-'or [f Jae/($012,, deceaJecl Filed Nov. 29, 1933 Patented Apr. 28, 1936 APPARATUS FOR DEHYDRATION F TAR EMULSIONS Thomas H. Jackson, deceased, late of Centralia, 111., by Lottie Healy Jackson, executrix, Centralia, Ill.

Application November 29, 1933, Serial No. 700,342 2 Claims. (Cl. 196-5) UNITED STATES PATENT OFFlCE This invention relates to the dehydration of emulsions of tar and water, such as may be obtained, for instance, as a by-product in the manufacture of water gas. One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a method of recovering the tar with practically no accompanying water and to do it efliciently. Another object is to provide an apparatus for efliciently carrying out the method. Other objects, advantages, and desirable features of the invention will appear in the course of the following description of an illustrative embodiment of the spirit of the invention.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which like numbers of reference denote like parts wherever they occur,

Figure 1 is a vertical longitudinal central section of the apparatus; and

Figure 2 is an end elevation, taken looking toward the left end of Figure 1.

The apparatus comprises a tank I having on its upper side a vapor dome 2, and on its lower side an inlet connection 3 to a source of emulsion,

preferably through a supply pump, and an outlet connection 4 to a suitable point of delivery, preferably through a discharge pump. A tier of drain cocks 5 at the left end of the tank may be opened for the purpose of revealing the state of the emulsion at different levels. The cocks 5 drain into respective pans or receptacles 6, that communicate through respective pipes l with an upstanding pipe 8, whose lower end is connected to a conduit through which the drained emulsion flows back to the source. An overflow pipe 9 maintains the level of the fluid in the tank and discharges into the upper end of the pipe 8. This pipe is constantly open to insure automatically sufiicient space above the same to accommodate any emulsion foaming that may be present, and, due to the connection of the return pipe 8 with the emulsion source, any emulsion drawn off through the pipe 9 as a result of expansion is returned to the source without loss or waste of the emulsion. The outlet It in the dome releases steam and light oil that forms in the dehydration process. Steam pipes H are provided in the interior of the tank, the steam inlet being at l2, and the steam outlet l3 being connected to a steam trap.

The method consists in pumping the tar emulsion through the connection 3 into the tank, ad-

- mitting live steam through the pipes II to heat the emulsion to two hundred and six degrees Fahrenheit for a period of substantially two hours,

thereby agitating the emulsion and breaking it up and readily evaporating the water and separating the tar from the water, and then reducing the heat to two hundred degrees Fahrenheit and maintaining this temperature for a period of from ten to twenty hours to give an opportunity for the complete separation of the tar from the water. The expansion space above the level of the liquid in the tank takes care of emulsion foaming. The steam is then turned off and the heavier tar ali lowed to settle, while the lighter water rises and is drained off. The tar is now ready for use and is discharged through the connection 4. This tar contains only one-fifth of one per cent. water, while tar technically known as bone dry contains as much as two per cent. water. In view of the fact that the emulsion on entering the tank contains from fifty to eighty per cent. of water, the high efficiency of this method will be readily appreciated. 20

It will be observed that the apparatus is simple and easy to operate. The emulsion is not permitted to flow into or out of the tank during the heating and settling stages of the process, hence the process is not disturbed and there are no pumps to watch, or pipes to stop up, or any parts to freeze in the winter. The steam trap automatically takes care of the coils and the outlet on the dome releases steam and light oil that forms in the tank and allows it to escape. The overflow pipe assures ample space in the tank to allow for excess expansion or emulsion foaming without any loss of emulsion, and without necessity for any attention by the operator.

The tar obtained from this source is always in a fluid condition. Its fluidity, however, of course, varies with the temperature. The tank is usually located out of doors, and, during periods of extreme cold weather it may, accordingly, be, necessary to keep sufficient steam in the heating 1 pipes to keep the tar suficiently fluid, so that it will flowrapidly through the pumps and other apparatus.

Having thus fully described this invention, the 4 benefit of all changes in form. arrangement, order, or use of parts is hereby reserved, as it is evident that many minor changes may be made therein without departing from the spirit of this invention or the scope of the following claims. 50

What is claimed is: 1. In apparatus for dehydrating tar emulsions, a container for the emulsion during the dehydrating operation, means for heating the emulsion within the container, and automatically operating 55 c it.

means in spaced relation to the top of the container to provide and maintain an expansion space at the top of the container.

2. In apparatus for dehydrating tar emulsions, a container for the emulsion during the dehydrating operation, means for transferring a quantity of emulsion from a source of supply to the container, means for heating the emulsion within the container, a series of vertically spaced drain in cocks for testing the emulsion at difierent levels with respect to the container, an emulsion overflow pipe in spaced relation to the top of the container to provide and maintain automatically an expansion space at the top of the container, and means for receiving the discharge from said overflow pipe and said drain cocks, and for returning said discharge to said source.

LOTTIE HEALY JACKSON, As Emecuirix of the Last Will and Testament of Thomas H. Jackson, Deceased.

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